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OBRA DIGITAL, 27, June 2025, pp. 33-49, e-ISSN 2014-5039
DOI: 10.25029/od.2025.449.27
2
La agenda del eminismo neg o digi al en Po ugal: un
análisis del caso de A olis
The agenda o digi al Black Feminism
in Po ugal: A case analysis o A olis
ARTICLE
Uni e si y o Minho
Pa icia Posch holds a PhD in Cul u al S udies. She is a Resea ch Fellow a he Cen e o Com-
munica ion and Socie y S udies – CECS (Po ugal) and a membe o he A , Cul u e and Powe
Resea ch G oup (PPCIS/UERJ, B azil). She conduc s esea ch in Cul u al S udies and Commu-
nica ion, wi h a special in e es in issues ela ed o iden i ies, social memo y, media, a , and
museums. In addi ion o he scien i ic ca ee , she wo ks as a Ma ke ing and Communica ion
consul an and in inno a ion p ojec s in Sus ainabili y and Social Responsibili y.
[email p o ec ed]
ORCID: h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-1839-3511
Pa icia Posch
Abs ac
This pape ocuses on he agenda o digi al
Black eminism in Po ugal, p esen ing a he-
ma ic analysis o a icles published by he al-
e na i e digi al media ou le A olis be ween
Ma ch 2023 and May 2023. The indings e-
eal ha A olis’s ac i ism aligns wi h he co e
hemes o he Black eminis agenda and plays
a pi o al ole in add essing bo h la en and u -
gen issues a ec ing acialized women in Po u-
gal. By denouncing s uc u al opp essions and
c ea ing spaces o na a i es ha p omo e
collec i e empowe men , Black women ha e
been eposi ioned a he cen e o a media
ecosys em o ien ed owa d al e na i e u u es.
Keywo ds
Black eminism, digi al cul u e, al e na i e me-
dia, discou se, A olis, Po ugal
Resumen
Es e a ículo examina la agenda del eminismo
neg o digi al en Po ugal median e un análisis
emá ico de a ículos publicados po el medio
al e na i o A olis en e ma zo y mayo de 2023.
Los hallazgos mues an que el ac i ismo de
A olis se alinea con los emas cen ales de la
agenda eminis a neg a y abo da cues iones
u gen es que a ec an a muje es acializadas en
Po ugal. Al denuncia las op esiones es uc-
u ales y c ea espacios pa a na a i as que
3434 The agenda o digi al Black Feminism in Po ugal: A case analysis o A olis
p omue an el empode amien o colec i o, las
muje es neg as han sido eposicionadas en el
cen o de un ecosis ema mediá ico o ien ado
hacia u u os al e na i os.
Palab as cla e
Feminismo neg o, cul u a digi al, medios al e -
na i os, discu so, A olis, Po ugal
1. INTRODUCTION
In he book Imagina ion, Ruha Benjamin high-
ligh s imagina ion as a powe ul mechanism
o building al e na i e u u es, pa icula ly
in a wo ld o dominan hegemonies ha , by
p esen ing speci ic pe spec i es as uni e sal,
exclude oices and ma ginalize people om
he public social sphe e. This e lec ion is es-
pecially ele an o social communica ion and
ou cu en imes, in which di e se pa hs a e
being pu sued as a way o open space o plu-
al oices ha en ich deba es and wo k owa d
u u es ha emb ace di e si y. In his ega d,
he democ a iza ion and s uc u e o new
echnologies ha e been undamen al in le e -
aging he po en ial o new media o b oaden
collec i e memo y suppo s, s eng hen coun -
e -memo ies, and c ea e spaces o exp ession
o ma ginalized ac o s. This is especially ue in
he con ex o inc eased dispu es o he con-
ol and “domes ica ion” o knowledge (San os,
2021).
In he li e a u e on he ela ionship be ween
“ ace”, Blackness, and digi al echnologies, s ud-
ies ha e p og essi ely expanded beyond he
ini ial gene al in e es in he lack o access o
new digi al echnologies o his o ically ma gin-
alized social g oups and he eplica ion o such
ma ginaliza ion wi hin digi al en i onmen s (E -
e e , 2009). Wi h echnological ad ancemen
and e o s owa d digi al democ a iza ion,
al hough hese issues pe sis , s udies ha e
eme ged o explo e u he he in e sec ional-
i ies wi hin digi al spaces (Anguiano, 2023; No-
ble & Tynes, 2016). These include esea ches
ha del e in o he ela ionship be ween “ ace”,
cul u e, and digi al media (Flo ini, 2019) and o -
e a diach onic pe spec i e on Black social ac-
i ism wi hin new digi al media (McIlwain, 2020).
Such con ibu ions ha e pa ed he way o de-
eloping new heo e ical and me hodological
app oaches, cen e ed, o example, on he idea
o an A o u u is A ican-Ame ican cybe cul-
u e (B ock, 2020) o he app oach o “ ace” as
echnology (Benjamin, 2020). They ha e also
os e ed u gen and c i ical discussions on is-
sues such as algo i hmic acism (Ewe on &
Lima, 2023; Noble, 2018; Sil a, 2024), digi al
and da a colonialism (Enein, 2023; Faus ino &
Lippold, 2023; Lippold & Faus ino, 2022), and
he in e sec ionali ies o a i icial in elligence
(In ahchomphoo & Gunde sen, 2020).
In Black eminism s udies, bell hooks, in he inal
pages o he emblema ic book Ain’ I a Woman?,
e lec s on he ole o Black women as pionee s
on a pa h o acial libe a ion and in he igh
agains acism and sexism, challenging opp es-
si e sys ems and inspi ing o he s o ollow hei
own pa hs o esis ance and sel - ealiza ion.
We, black women who ad oca e em-
inis ideology, a e pionee s. We a e
clea ing a pa h o ou sel es and ou
sis e s. We hope ha as hey see us
each ou goal—no longe ic imized,
no longe un ecognized, no longe
a aid— hey will ake cou age and ol-
low. (hooks, 1983, p. 196)
Mo e ecen ly, in addi ion o con ibu ions o-
wa d a mo e globalized mo emen (Gonzalez,
2020), he li e a u e p esen s wo ks no only
3535
Pa icia Posch
o insc ip ion bu , mo e impo an ly, o eposi-
ioning Black women in hei ela ionship wi h
digi al echnologies, in a mo emen aimed a
“decons uc ing whi e sup emacis pa ia chal
capi alism in digi al cul u e” (S eele, 2021, p.
10). This econ igu a ion, which ecognizes he
p ominen ole o Black women and hei po-
en ial o ad ance discussions in he ield o dig-
i al echnologies, has been explo ed in s udies
by a ious au ho s in Po ugal and beyond, en-
compassing di e en ocuses and app oaches
(Cu is, 2015; Noble, 2016; Jackson e al., 2020;
Sobande, 2020; S eele, 2021; Williams, 2015).
As a ious s udies indica e, digi al media ha e
been used by Black women as essen ial ools
o hei ac i ism and igh o jus ice (Jones,
2019), including in Po ugal (Cu ing on, 2020;
Hen iques, 2017; Magalhães e al., 2018; Ma ô-
po e al., 2017; Rua, 2023; Tos es, 2020).
In Po ugal, Co eia e al. (2024) mapped se -
e al al e na i e digi al media ou le s ela ed
o mig an and/o acialized communi ies in
Po ugal. Acco ding o Posch e al. (2024), he
eme gence o hese media ou le s is pa o a
b oade con ex o s eng hening he Black and
an i- acis mo emen s in Po ugal and is also
in luenced by an inc easing c isis in jou nalism
globally (Johnson, 2024), wi h e e be a ions in
he coun y(Sil a, 2024). While he eme gence
o he i s Black p ess ou le s linked o he
Black mo emen in Po ugal da es o he ea -
ly 20 h cen u y (Va ela & Pe ei a, 2020), i was
mainly in he second decade o he 21s cen u-
y ha a ious collec i es and media ou le s led
by Black eminis women a ose, add essing he
conce ns o Black mo emen h ough an in e -
sec ional lens. S ill, in con as o he Eu opean
end o p edominan ly male news ooms, he
p esence o women in Po uguese mains eam
news ooms is inc easing bu s ill lacks di e si-
y (Bandei a & Vizeu, 2018; Obe Com, 2017),
wi h Black women being excluded om mul i-
ple a eas wi hin he in o ma ion indus y.
Collins (1990) s a ed ha Black eminism en-
compasses a b oade ac i ism o es o e hu-
man digni y and achie e social jus ice. Acco d-
ing o Roldão (2019), beyond ad ancing opics
inhe i ed om pionee ing Black eminis wom-
en in Po ugal, he la es gene a ion o Black
eminis ac i is s and esea che s in he coun-
y a e b inging new ques ions o he agen-
da, add essing ma e s o iden i y, aes he ics,
gende , ep esen a ion, social mobili y, acism,
and iolence. None heless, in e sec ionali y has
la gely been hough o as only a backd op in
academia wi hin he in e sec ion o Jou nalism
and Gende S udies (Lago e al., 2018). Despi e
ecen s udies1 aimed a unde s anding acial
issues in Po ugal—which help b ing he coun-
y mo e in line wi h Eu ope conce ning public
and sec o al discussions abou acism and a-
cial ma e s (Cabecinhas & Macedo, 2019; Vala,
2021)— he engagemen o “whi e Po ugal” in
Black eminism, as Roldão (2019, pa a. 1) no -
ed, emains “slow, ecen , and highly sec o al”.
This scena io has c ea ed a la en demand
o add essing digi al Black eminism and i s
jou nalis ic p ac ices, which would allow o
examining how al e na i e digi al media ha e
been wo king o decons uc “pe sonhood hi-
e a chies” (Ce quei a & Magalhães, 2017, p. 10)
ha con ibu e o social inequali y h ough he
e asu e and ma ginaliza ion o ce ain subjec s
in media discou se.
In o de o ill his gap, his wo k sough o con-
ibu e o an unde s anding o he agenda o
con empo a y digi al Black eminism ac i ism
1 Fo example, s udies add essing acial issues in Po u-
gal wi hin educa ional ins i u ions (A aújo, 2007), in school
ex books (Cabecinhas e al., 2022; Cupa a e al., 2024),
in ilm p oduc ion (Lins e al., 2024; Macedo e al., 2023),
and in cul u al ins i u ions (Mou inho, 2022; Posch, 2016,
2018).
3636 The agenda o digi al Black Feminism in Po ugal: A case analysis o A olis
in Po ugal. Fo his ma e , i p esen s a case
s udy consis ing o an analysis o he hema -
ic co e ed by al e na i e digi al media A olis in
hei con en . In 2014, Angolan jou nalis Ca la
Fe nandes ounded Rádio A olis, ecognizing
he impo ance — and u gency — o speaking
abou Black Po uguese people dis inc i ely
om mig an s. Acco ding o he , he e seemed
o be no space o Black oices in mains eam
Po uguese media: “Black Po uguese people
a e no pa o he no m, and we a e placed in
boxes ha s ill con ine us o e en smalle ones”
(Fe nandes apud Hen iques, 2017).
In 2023, bene i ing om a g an by he Google
News Ini ia i e Eu ope 2023 ini ia i e2, A olis was
launched as he jou nalis ic wing o A olis —
Associação Cul u al. Wi h an edi o ial eam o
11 people, A olis had he mission o “p o oke
he change o he media ecosys em by b inging
Black and acialized p o essionals o he cen e
o he discussion”, as well as “dissemina e he
di e si y o he eali ies o Black and acialized
people, especially women”, and “encou age
hei pa icipa ion in he p oduc ion o media
con en ” (A olis, 2024, pa a. 1). Since he be-
ginning o he p ojec on Ma ch 8, 2023, i has
published con en in a ious o ma s and sec-
ions, such as a icles, blogs, in e iews, pho o
galle ies, podcas s, and ideocas s. I ended i s
ope a ions on Decembe 3, 2023, celeb a ing
he da e wi h an e en a Casa Mocambo in Lis-
bon. The e en ea u ed a deba e on he jou -
ney o acialized women in he media alongside
Black women p o essionals doing esea ch in
Communica ion S udies (Fe nandes, 2023).
2 Recen s udies ha e aised conce ns ega ding he e-
la ionship be ween he in o ma ion indus y and unding
h ough p i a e ini ia i es (especially big echs), pa icula ly
ega ding edi o ial independence (Bell, 2021; Papae an-
gelou, 2024; Posch e al., 2024).
2. METHODOLOGY
Aiming o unde s and he ac i ism o Black
women in Po ugal, he p esen wo k sough o
con ibu e o he knowledge o he agenda o
Black women’s jou nalism in he coun y’s al e -
na i e digi al media landscape. To de elop his
issue, i p esen s a case s udy o A olis, one o
he digi al al e na i e media ou le s in he Po -
uguese al e na i e digi al media map ela ed
o mig an s and/o acialized people de eloped
by Co eia e al. (2024).
The case s udy in ol ed a hema ic analysis
(B aun & Cla ke, 2022) o 39 ex s published
in he “a icles” sec ion o A olis’s websi e om
i s i s publica ion in Ma ch 2023 un il he sec-
ond hal o May 2023.3 This ime ame was se
o encompass wo ele an e en s conce n-
ing in e na ional mig a ion in he Po uguese
con ex : he es ablishmen o a new elec ed
go e nmen in Po ugal in Ma ch 2022 and
he c ea ion o he Agência pa a a In eg ação
Mig ações e Asilo (Po uguese Agency o Mi-
no i ies, Mig a ion, and Asylum), eplacing he
Se iço de Es angei os e F on ei as (Fo eigne s
and Bo de s Se ice) (GOV.PT, 2023).
On May 16, 2023, he a icles we e collec ed
using a web sc aping sc ip (D ucke , 2021).
The hema ic analysis p ocess in ol ed he ol-
lowing s ages: amilia iza ion wi h he co pus,
gene a ion o p ima y codes, d a ing hemes,
e iewing hemes, and naming and concep u-
alizing hemes. The coding o ex exce p s was
ca ied ou using NVi o and ollowed a seman-
ic bo om-up induc i e app oach.
3 The a icles a e published and a ailable o eading a
h p://www.a olis.p
3737
Pa icia Posch
3. RESULTS
The compa a i e analysis be ween he i e
main hemes add essed in A olis’s a icles,
il e ed by he o al numbe o coded a icles
(Table 1) and he o al numbe o coded ex
exce p s (Table 2) ela ed o each heme, e-
eals he pe sis ence and dis ibu ion o speci -
ic hemes du ing he analyzed pe iod. Al hough
lis ed sepa a ely, he hemes a e s ongly in e -
connec ed.
Table 1
Mos ep esen a i e hemes o
he analysis, by o al o a icles
Table 2
Mos ep esen a i e hemes o he analysis,
by o al o coded exce p s
Theme To al o a icles
Social Disc imina ion
21
Rep esen a ions
13
Rep esen a i i y
13
Violences
13
Na a i es
11
Theme To al o coded exce p s
Social Disc imina ion 65
Violences 42
Rep esen a i i y 34
Na a i es 29
Repa a ions 29
Social disc imina ion was he mos p ominen
opic on A olis’s agenda du ing he analyzed pe-
iod. This ma e has been ex ensi ely s udied
in academia, including p ejudice agains Black
women wi hin he Black communi y (Hooks,
1983) and in he Po uguese con ex (Cabe-
cinhas, 2007; Loza, 2024). In a epo published
in 2023 by he Na ional Ins i u e o S a is ics o
Po ugal, 44.2% o esponden s who claimed o
ha e expe ienced social disc imina ion in he
coun y iden i ied as Black, wi h 17.5% o hem
being women (INE, 2023).
The a icles published by A olis add essed
he a ious o ms o social disc imina ion ha
Black women ace in Po uguese socie y, high-
ligh ing “ ace” ( acism), gende , na ionali y (xe-
nophobia), cul u e, and eligion. This app oach
e lec s he in e sec ional aspec inhe i ed
mainly om he hi d wa e o Black eminism
in he 1990s, in luenced by he wo ks o C en-
shaw (1989, 1991), as well as he awa eness
ha Black women a e subjec ed o iple social
disc imina ion—social, acial, and sexual (Gon-
zalez, 2020). As w i en in he a icle Vicissi udes
da Linguagem… (Vicissi udes o Language…), he
o igin o social disc imina ion is a ibu ed o
“knowledge acqui ed wi hin amily ci cles and
o he ins i u ions h oughou one’s li e”, a ame
o e e ence ha makes i possible o a pe son
“ o ne e ecognize he acis /agg essi e ac s
3838 The agenda o digi al Black Feminism in Po ugal: A case analysis o A olis
hey commi ” (pa a. 4). I is also oo ed in “ he
s eng hening o eugenic heo ies de eloped in
he la e 19 h cen u y in Eu ope and colonialis
heo ies” (pa a. 7) along wi h Eu ocen ic na a-
i es abou A ican people and hei his o y, as
discussed in he a icle Sob e a impo ância de
conhece as his ó ias de ida de pessoas neg as
(On he impo ance o knowing he li e s o ies
o Black people):
Fo cen u ies, we ha e been c ea ing
and accessing Eu ocen ic na a i es
in a ious educa ional and cul u al
mediums, bo h o mal and in o mal,
abou A ican popula ions who we e
ensla ed om he 15 h cen u y on-
wa d, as well as hei descendan s, as
i hei s o ies we e only ele an while
subal e ns. Such na a i es ha e con-
ibu ed and con inue o con ibu e
o he cu en s a e o a ai s, whe e
p edominan ly Black people con inue
o be publicly insul ed, psychological-
ly humilia ed, physically and pa imo-
nially iola ed. Condemned o li e in
ex eme po e y, and dep i ed o hei
undamen al igh s. (pa a. 2)
Social disc imina ion is closely connec ed o
ac s o iolence, which is also one o he mos
discussed opics by A olis. Va ious o ms and
dimensions o iolence su e ed by Black wom-
en in Po ugal a e denounced, including police
iolence, domes ic iolence, iolence wi hin
he amily, ins i u ional iolence, p ope y io-
lence, pa en al aliena ion, bullying, sexual ha-
assmen , and iolence agains Black women’s
bodies.
Bo h social disc imina ion and iolence a e
co ela ed o a lack o ep esen a ion o Black
women ac oss a ious sec o s o Po uguese
socie y. The unde ep esen a ion o hese
women is p oblema ic no only in quan i a i e
e ms bu , mo e impo an ly, quali a i ely, as i
denies hese indi iduals decision-making posi-
ions and silences hei oices. Roldão (2019,
pa a. 4) s a es, “ he e is no much space in Po -
ugal o a Black woman o wo k academically
and c i ically on colonial issues.”
This was also one o he key opics on A olis’s
agenda du ing he analyzed pe iod4, mainly o-
cusing on denouncing he lack o ep esen a-
ion and/o unde ep esen a ion o Black wom-
en in a ious sphe es o Po uguese socie y. As
s a ed in he a icle A al a da ep esen a i idade
na academia po uguesa: Mulhe es Neg as não
pensam? (The lack o ep esen a ion in Po u-
guese academia: Black women do no hink?):
In con as o his damaging p ac ice
o democ acy – scien i ic acism – we
ha e no able Black women in Po u-
guese socie y, people we should d aw
inspi a ion om h ough hei wo k,
such as Joacine Ka a Mo ei a (His-
o ian, Poli ician, Ac i is ), G ada Ki-
lomba (W i e , In e disciplina y A is ,
Psychologis ), Ca la Fe nandes (W i e
and Di ec o o A olis), Luzia Moniz
(Jou nalis , W i e , Sociologis ), Raquel
Lima (Poe , Pe o me , A Educa o ,
Resea che ), Gisela Casimi o (Poe ,
W i e , Ac i is ), among o he s. In he
coun y whe e he A ican p esence
is he mos impo an his o ically, no
e en in he Assembly o he Republic
do we see Black ep esen a ion. Is e h-
nic- acial equali y a u opia? And wha
abou gende equali y? Can he e be
4 I is impo an o no e ha ep esen a ion o A olis
seems o be no only a opic o discussion bu also a ma -
e o p ac ice, especially ega ding ci ic ep esen a ion
( ou o he a icles wi hin he analysis pe iod we e w i en
by gues con ibu o s om a ious a eas o ci il socie y)
and media ep esen a ion ( wo a icles celeb a e he con-
e al o an Hono a y Doc o a e i le o Black Po uguese
a is and w i e G ada Kilomba).
3939
Pa icia Posch
social equi y wi hou ep esen a ion o
he cul u al di e si y p esen in a coun-
y ac oss all sec o s o socie y?(pa a.
6)
In Po ugal, a ecen su ey ound ha 90.3%
o people aged be ween 18 and 74 wi h a mi-
g a o y backg ound sel -iden i y wi h he “black
e hnic g oup” (INE, 2023). Despi e his, hese
people a e s ill in isible and ma ginalized in
a ious social sphe es, o en s e eo yped as
“o he ” (Bo ges, 2008). Speci ically in he case
o Black women, Reis (2019, p. 53) s a es ha ,
in addi ion o in isibili y and lack o social ep e-
sen a ion, hey a e a ec ed by a “silenced dou-
ble disc imina ion”. The au ho highligh s he
in e sec ionali ies ha e lec social asymme-
ies among Black women in Po ugal: among
he women she in e iewed, hose wi h “lowe
le els o educa ion and no educa ion a e hose
who ha e poo ly paid p eca ious jobs and li e
in social housing”.
This pe spec i e con as s wi h he ecogni ion
o he ole and impo ance o Black women in
a ious social con ex s, which is also p esen in
A olis’s agenda, pa icula ly in he a icle Di ei o
à Lu a e Di ei o ao Descanso (Righ o Figh and
Righ o Res ):
The con ibu ion o Black and A ican
women o he building o he socie ies
in which hey ind hemsel es and o
he cons uc ion o a global mo emen
o equali y is undeniable. Whe h-
e h ough hei hinking, hei labo
o ce, o hei di e se his o ical expe-
iences. (pa a. 1)
Raising awa eness o his issue is c ucial be-
cause, as s a ed in he a icle Vicissi udes da
Linguagem… (Vicissi udes o Language…), “ he
silencing o he eelings and oices o Black
women is s ill qui e no ma i e” (pa a. 6). While
A olis d aws a en ion o he lack o ep esen-
a ion o Black people in Po uguese gene -
al socie y, he media, he a s, academia, he
educa ion sys em, and school ex books, he
lack o ep esen a ion o Black women speci -
ically is mo e s ongly highligh ed in academia,
he a s, educa ion, and poli ics. In he a icle
Mulhe es neg as que sonham se cien is as (Black
women who d eam o becoming scien is s), o
example, he opic o he impo ance o Black
women’s ep esen a ion in he a s is aised,
so ha “Black gi ls and women can d eam and
make hei d eams come ue in a wo ld deep-
ly ma ked by colonial and pa ia chal legacies”
(pa a. 11). In academia, A olis associa es he
lack o ep esen a ion o Black women as a su-
p a-na ional issue. Acco ding o Black esea ch-
e Ane Ogbe, a e collec ing pe sonal es imo-
nies wi h colleagues and analyzing quan i a i e
da a, she ound ha “Black women a e a mi-
no i y and o en lack he o ganiza ional pow-
e s o he dominan Whi e and male cul u es”
(Ogbe, 2022, p. 679). On he same a o emen-
ioned a icle by A olis, one eads ha “ he e is
a lack o Black ep esen a ion in science, bo h
in Po ugal and in a ious o me colonizing o
colonized e i o ies”, which is “a esul o sci-
en i ic acism ha has been pe pe ua ed o
cen u ies” (pa a. 9). I also emphasizes ha “i
is e y impo an o know abou Black wom-
en who d eamed o becoming scien is s, who
ough , and who succeeded” (pa a. 9).
A olis also add essed he lack o ep esen a-
i i y o Black women, including mig an wom-
en, in public spaces and he ca og aphies o
he ci ies. Re lec ing on he ques ion ha gi es
name o he a icle “Também Es ão No Mapa?”:
Ca og a ia como espaço de esis ência (“A e hey
also on he map?”: Ca og aphy as a space o
esis ance), ega ding one a exhibi ion dis-
played a he ga den o he Museum o Lisbon
– Palácio Pimen a, i is s a ed:
4040 The agenda o digi al Black Feminism in Po ugal: A case analysis o A olis
A ques ion o en posed o hose who
“insis ” on being on he map bu a e
no legi imized o be he e. A ques ion
he Black and mig an popula ions a e
cons an ly asked, o which hey do no
always know how o espond. “Lisbon
is a e y seg ega ed, e y segmen ed,
e y ac u ed ci y. So, he exhibi ion
ies o gi e o he oices o he ci y o
ebuild i wi h a di e en discou se,”
says An ónio B i o Gu e es, e ealing
one o he goals o ha wo k. (pa a. 1)
I is impo an o emembe ha he lack o
ep esen a ion o Black women in socie y is
embedded wi hin a capi alis pa ia chal con-
ex , a undamen al concep in Black eminism
li e a u e (Gonzalez, 2020). A olis’s a icle Um
Momen o de Escu a e Pa ilha no Tea o do Bai -
o Al o (A Momen o Lis ening and Sha ing a
he Bai o Al o’s Thea e ) epo s he case o a
Black mo he who, when denouncing ins ances
o acism he daugh e aced a school, “had o
always u n o he whi e a he o he claims o
be hea d” (pa a. 6).
Weighing on his en i onmen o social disc im-
ina ion, iolence, and lack o ep esen a ion a e
he discou ses and ep esen a ions associa -
ed wi h Black women. Acco ding o Sampaio
(2022), cu en social ep esen a ions o Black
bodies and subjec s a e in e wined wi h a long
p ocess o ideological cons uc ion o he ep-
esen a ion o Black people in Po ugal. The
au ho s a es ha h ough he es ablishmen
o social hie a chies and he denial o Black
cul u e, A ican Black people we e objec i ied,
subjuga ed as “ e og ade” (p. 21), in an ilized,
and animalized, esul ing in social disempowe -
men and aliena ion o iden i y. Seen h ough
he lens o socially es ablished beau y s an-
da ds ha posi ion he Black body as a con as
o he whi e, he Black woman is equen ly “an-
imalized” (p. 21) and “associa ed wi h ugliness
and di ” (p. 26).
The a icle Não se ei eu uma mulhe (Ain’ I a
woman) discusses he connec ion be ween
ep esen a i i y and ep esen a ion, s a ing
wi h he idea ha women ha e his o ically been
po ayed acco ding o he male gaze – “ou
posi ion in socie y has been closely ied o how
men iew women” (pa a. 7). The hai and b aids
o Black women, which con ibu e o cons uc-
ion o hei Black iden i y while simul aneously
se ing as a o m o social p o es (Po uguez
& Schucman, 2023), a e he cen al opics o
he a icle Cabelo Neg o: al a de ep esen ação
e comp eensão na indús ia da moda (Black Hai :
lack o ep esen a ion and unde s anding in he
ashion indus y). Acco ding o Ngandu-Kalenga
G eenswo d (2022, p. 746), Black women’s hai
has been poli icized h oughou his o y, being
weaponized o “con ol, hype sexualize, and
de- eminize Black women”. In A olis’s a icle, i
is highligh ed ha “ he belie ha na u al hai is
unsui able o ashion o mus be al e ed o be
mo e ‘pala able’ is bo h ha m ul and es ic i e”
(pa a. 4), and how “ he inclusion o Black mod-
els wi h na u al, ex u ed hai is seen as a way
o challenge hese s e eo ypes and encou age
o he Black women o emb ace hei na u al
hai ” (pa a. 4).
The a icle Descon inuidades Familia es das Mães
P e as - Con inuidades Coloniais (Family Discon i-
nui ies o Black Mo he s - Colonial Con inui ies)
sheds ligh on he ela ionship be ween he
social ep esen a ions o Black women and so-
cial in e en ion and heal hca e, s essing he
connec ion be ween ep esen a ion and social
change:
A majo i y o magis a es will no e i y
ac s desc ibed in social epo s and
simila documen s, conside ing he
ways in which Black women o o he
4141
Pa icia Posch
acialized women a e his o ically/pe-
jo a i ely in e p e ed by social wo k
p o essionals and/o psychologis s.
This allows o he ep oduc ion o co-
lonial, pa ia chal, and/o misogynis ic
iolence on he bodies o Black women
and child en. (pa a. 5)
In he a icle A opo unidade de uma his ó ia plu-
al (The Oppo uni y o a Plu al His o y), he im-
po ance o he social ep esen a ion o Black
people in medical li e a u e is explici ly poin ed
ou :
Because hose who a e cold ha e blue
lips, and hose wi h a e e ha e osy
skin. We could w i e chap e s abou
he meaning o his omission, bu I
w i e abou he meaning o his e ela-
ion. Because only we can ask and an-
swe : And we, wi h da k lips and Black
skin? Don’ we ge cold? Don’ we ge
a e e ? And wha abou Mahsa Ami-
ni, isn’ she news? Do we ha e o be
blonde people who ea apples in he
win e ? (pa a. 8)
When i comes o Black women’s ep esen a-
ion in he media, he same a icle ques ions
he mains eam jou nalism agenda and he
a en ion gi en o issues ela ed o ma ginal-
ized women. I ques ions he p io i y gi en o
a women’s oo ball ma ch o e he Wo ld Cup
opening ce emony in 2022, dis ega ding he
ongoing p o es s in I an ollowing he dea h o
Mahsa Amini – “how many imes did his appea
in he news, o how many days, and how many
o al minu es? — i did no e en each 90 min-
u es o a oo ball ma ch” (pa a. 7). This c i ique
suppo s he pe cep ion o 90.6% o o e wo
hund ed Black women om he Lisbon egion,
who in a 2020 su ey indica ed ha hey pe -
cei ed he media p e e en ially po ays whi e
women, and 85.6% conside ed ha mixed- ace
women ha e p i ilege o e Black women (Sam-
paio, 2022).
On he o he hand, he a icle A Angela em
azão! (Angela is igh !), which ma ked he
launch o A olis, s a es ha Black women,
knowing ha hey a e “ he d i ing o ces o he
s uc u al ans o ma ions hey need o a ma -
e o su i al” (pa a. 2), a e in ol ed in “in ini e
p ocesses o ein en ion” (pa a. 2). In a con e -
sa ion as pa o he cycle o alks abou lo e
and cu a o ial p ac ice Cu a ing as a P ac ice
o Lo e, Lwando Xaso, Sou h A ican au ho o
Made in Sou h A ica: A Black Woman’s S o ies o
Rage, Resis ance and P og ess, s a es, in he a i-
cle Lwando Xaso, Uma Mulhe Made in Sou h A -
ica (Lwando Xaso, A Woman Made in Sou h A -
ica) ha e en nega i e s e eo ypes can be ( e)
signi ied in a o o a mo e jus ep esen a ion
o ma ginalized people:
“Tha ’s i , Made in Sou h A ica.” Bu
hen, ega ding he es o he i le,
I wan ed people o know ha o be
made in Sou h A ica o en means be-
ing en aged. To adop an a i ude o
esis ance. Bu a he same ime, he e
is also a sense o p og ess. Some peo-
ple migh hink, “Really? P og ess?” bu
I belie e he e is. I hink i ’s chao ic,
bu e en in he mids o chaos, he e’s
some kind o momen um o a democ-
acy ha is ma u ing and de eloping.
(pa a. 6)
The e o s o ( e)signi y ep esen a ions o
Black women can be amed as pa o a b oad-
e ac i is mo emen o epa a ions in a ious
o ms. In he public sphe e o Po ugal, he
opic o epa a ions gained u he ac ion,
especially in Ap il 2023, when hen-p esiden
Ma celo Rebelo de Sousa deli e ed a speech a
he Assembly o he Republic emphasizing he
need o Po ugal o apologize o he ensla ed
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